High court to hear Jaya’s bail plea today

The Karnataka high court has agreed to hear former Tamil Nadu CM Jayalalithaa's appeal against her conviction on a priority basis. The matter will be heard on Wednesday by a specially constituted vacation bench.

The Karnataka high court has agreed to hear former Tamil Nadu CM Jayalalithaa's appeal against her conviction on a priority basis. The matter will be heard on Wednesday by a specially constituted vacation bench.

The significant turn of events came hours after a vacation bench on Tueaday morning adjourned the matter to October 6. The adjournment order was issued after the Karnataka government failed to appoint a public prosecutor to contest the challenge mounted by Jayalalithaa's legal team.

Her lawyers immediately approached the high court registrar and the chief justice seeking urgent hearing of the matter.

They submitted that the matter should be treated as an exception as the continued incarceration of Jayalalithaa was causing law and order problems in Tamil Nadu.

They also argued that the AIADMK leader's health was unstable. Contesting the need for a public prosecutor to file objections, her lawyers cited sections of the CrPC and said that when the sentence is less than 10 years the judge of a higher court can adjudicate the appeal on merits without seeking the view of the prosecutor.

Jaya refuses to meet Panneerselvam

Former Tamil Nadu CM Jayalalithaa on Wednesday refused to meet O Panneerselvam, the man she has entrusted with the job of holding the CM's chair until she gets the relief she's hoping for from the court.

Panneerselvam was camping in the city since Monday evening for a chance to meet his jailed leader and seek her blessings. He landed in the city shortly after he was administered the oath of office by the Tamil Nadu governor.

He returned disappointed after jail authorities told him that Jayalalithaa had refused to meet him. Jail sources told HT that her cell is far from the visitor's area and she was not in a physical state to walk the distance.